In ‘Serial’ Case, Adnan Syed’s Hearing for Retrial Is Underway

Adnan Syed, whose conviction for the murder of his former high school girlfriend was the initial subject of the popular “Serial” podcast, appeared in a Maryland court on Wednesday as new witness testimony was introduced in his push for a retrial.

Mr. Syed, 34, is serving a life sentence in prison after his conviction in 2000 for the murder of Hae Min Lee. In November, a Baltimore Circuit Court judge granted his request to reopen postconviction proceedings, and a hearing was scheduled to allow him to add the testimony of an alibi witness to his pending request for a new trial.

The three-day hearing started Wednesday before a retired Circuit Court judge, Martin Welch.

Mr. Syed’s lawyer, C. Justin Brown, argued that adding the testimony of Asia McClain to the record should lead to a retrial. Ms. McClain, who has married and taken the surname Chapman, said in an affidavit that she had seen Mr. Syed in a library when Ms. Lee was killed. She testified during the afternoon portion of the hearing.

Mr. Brown filed a motion to reopen his client’s posttrial proceedings in June based on the fact that Mr. Syed’s trial lawyer never called Ms. McClain as an alibi witness and did not seek a plea agreement. The Baltimore Sun noted that most of the hearing on Wednesday was focused on the trial lawyer, M. Cristina Gutierrez.

Ms. Gutierrez, a high-profile lawyer in the 1990s, agreed to her own disbarment in 2001 after receiving numerous complaints unrelated to Mr. Syed’s case. She had a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis by then and died in 2004 after a heart attack.

The defense is also seeking to challenge the testimony of an AT&T engineer whose sworn statements on cellphone data were used to link Mr. Syed to the park where Ms. Lee’s body was buried. The engineer, Abraham Waranowitz, said he was not shown a crucial disclaimer about cell tower data that would have affected his testimony in the murder trial.

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Adnan Syed in an undated photograph provided by his brother, Yusuf.Creditvia Associated Press

But the state’s deputy prosecutor, Thiru Vignarajah, argued on Wednesday that Mr. Syed’s representation had been adequate and that he had received a fair trial leading to his conviction. The prosecutor repeatedly reminded Judge Welch that he had previously denied an attempt by Mr. Syed to have the case reopened.

In its first season, “Serial” raised questions about Mr. Syed’s guilt and whether he had a fair trial. The show was downloaded more than 100 million times and won a Peabody Award for its role in illuminating flaws in the criminal justice system.

The host, Sarah Koenig, attended the hearing on Wednesday, as did Rabia Chaudry, a family friend who brought the case to the show’s attention, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The hearing will continue through Friday, and Judge Welch is expected to announce sometime after it ends whether he will grant Mr. Syed a new trial. Steven M. Klepper, a prominent appeals lawyer and the editor in chief of the Maryland Appellate Blog, said that whatever Judge Welch’s decision is will be challenged on appeal by the other side.

Mr. Klepper, who has been following the case and attended the morning portion of the hearing, said it would be hard for a judge to deny Mr. Syed a retrial in light of the new evidence and public interest in the case generated by the podcast.

“This is powerful evidence that Adnan’s team has been able to martial,” Mr. Klepper said. “And I think a judge would be hard pressed to say that this is a situation that does not call for a reopening.”

He added, “If there was a perception that the court didn’t at least give these facts a clear hearing, it would undermine many people’s trust in the Maryland court system.”